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OKC police dog stabbed during Sunday pursuit dies Monday

Authorities said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Ryan Stark was the officer involved in a Sunday night pursuit that ended in a fatal shooting. The K-9 who was stabbed has been identified as Kye, a 3-year-old German shepherd. Kye died Monday afternoon.

An Oklahoma City police dog stabbed by a man who led authorities on a pursuit Sunday night died Monday, police said.

Kye, a 3-year-old German shepherd who was involved in the pursuit, suffered multiple stab wounds Sunday night and had emergency surgery. He experienced complications after surgery and died about 3:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

Oklahoma City police Sgt. Ryan Stark is shown in February working with K-9 officer Kye while demonstrating the training involved for police dogs. Kye died Monday after being stabbed Sunday. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman Archives

Kye had about two years of service with the Oklahoma City Police Department.

The man who stabbed Kye was fatally shot by the dog’s handler, Sgt. Ryan Stark. The name of the man was not released Monday. Stark, who has 13 years of service, was put on administrative leave pending the outcome of standard criminal and administrative investigations by the police department.

The incident occurred about 8:45 p.m. Sunday when police were called to a business burglary at 7233 S Air Depot Blvd. Officers saw a man drive away and pursued. Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers joined the pursuit as the driver sped southbound on Interstate 35 near Main Street in Norman, Oklahoma City police Capt. Dexter Nelson said.

Troopers used tactics to end the pursuit near the Goldsby exit on I-35, where the vehicle hit a ditch west of the highway, Nelson said.

The driver got out of his vehicle and started running south near the service road. Stark let Kye chase the driver, and Kye apprehended the driver as he ran behind a business, police said.

Stark arrived behind the business and found the man armed with a knife, stabbing Kye, police said. Stark tried to separate the man from the dog before drawing his gun and fatally shooting the man, police said.

Nelson said a police officer could not shoot a person solely for attacking a police dog, but officers are trained that they can use lethal force when they are within 21 to 25 feet of a person with a knife if the situation warrants.

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by Darla Slipke

Breaking News Reporter

Darla Slipke is a breaking news reporter for The Oklahoman. She is a native of Bristol, Conn., and a graduate of the University of Kansas. Slipke worked for newspapers in Kansas, Connecticut, North Carolina and Oklahoma, including a previous...